A Hundred Miles Apart
by Arathlia
Summary: Once cruelly separated by destiny, torn apart from each other, Toshiro and Momo's relationship lies in shambles and ruin. When the past that seemed to be laid over by the present, the memories suddenly resurface. And both of them know one thing; They can't run away anymore. The past will not let itself be entombed so easily.


"Promise me? Promise that you will take me there someday?"

She pleaded, holding tightly onto his hand, her nails digging into his palm. He stared into her soulful eyes, brimmed with tears, waiting for his word. She didn't know why fate was prying them apart, with a tempting and once-in-a-lifetime offer for his dream job. Of course, everything wonderful in life came with a price. And for them, it was…_them_.

The P.A crackled to life, "All passengers departing for Tokyo on flight ONE-EIGHT-SEVEN, please go to gate 47 for boarding. All passengers departing for Tokyo."

The femininely smooth voice echoed around the airport, proceeding to repeat the announcement in two more foreign languages. He glanced at the large clock, hanging next to the dozens of large-screened electric commercials. Ten more minutes. She couldn't help but wish his flight was delayed for even just a minute more, or that time would turn itself back. But he had to leave soon. _Too soon, really_. He felt a deeply wrenching feeling in his heart, as if his heartstrings were snapping into tiny pieces. He knew this would be the last time, in a few years, or forever, that he might see her. _Did he realize how much more painful this was for her?_

"I will. I promise, Momo. Take care…I'll…I'll see you soon."

He replied sincerely albeit hastily, giving her hand a tight squeeze. Momo's tightened expression relaxed slightly, she haltingly let go of his hand. _Did he even notice her hand shaking as she let go?_ He gave her a wry smile, reached out, and pinched her cheek.

"Hey, how come you aren't like this when I use to leave for Granny's?"

He teased, using his last ditch effort to make the atmosphere lighter: a joke.

She smiled with painful effort, unsure whether to laugh, or to smile, or to cry. She knew that for him to make a joke, he was nervous too.

_Because I know, you always come back to me after your visits._

They stood there for a while, not knowing how valuable that two or four minutes would be in the future, just the two of them, together.

"Go on, Toshiro…you're going to be late for your flight."

Momo urged, averting his gaze from his deep set, turquoise eyes, which always managed to make her heart beat a mile faster. But now, all she wanted was for him to leave quickly and stop staring at her. Because she knew, in a minute's time, she would be crying. The peppery, stuffy feeling was clouding over her senses, and she could feel warm tears rise up.

Toshiro gave a mute nod, and picked up his suitcase handle. People walked past the couple, staring but not stopping. Momo bit onto her bottom lip, as she saw him walking into his new life. _It would be too selfish of me to tell him that I'll miss him too much for him to go._

Then, slowly, but deliberately, he stopped. For a moment, just before he entered through the gates to board, Toshiro just stood there, as if transfixed in time. She couldn't help but think he might be coming back. _He didn't._

He looked back at her, turning slowly, and mouthed something followed by a sly smirk, then disappeared into the throng of people in the lineup. Momo's heart leapt, she didn't know how to read lips, but there was no possible way she could not have figured out what he said. She let her heavy tears roll down her face freely. Clutching her mouth with both of her hands to muffle the sobs, she started to laugh. Even though he was long gone, she spoke to him, as if he was there. It was the first time he said it in public. Or mouthed it. _I didn't realize it would be the last either._

"I love you too, Shiro-chan."

_**Five Years Later…**_

"Matsumoto. Have the files _ready by Monday_, and prepare the materials for the new employees.

Now."

A white-haired man demanded, his eyes not leaving the papers he was signing. Rangiku Matsumoto, a flaming figure who never took things seriously, rolled her eyes at her boss.

"But boss! You know that Shuuhei and everyone else is going for drinks this afternoon-Hey, do you think that we might be able to, I don't know…maybe delay this? Just a few more days?"

His assistant whined. She was constantly lamenting about her duties.

Toshiro felt his blood boil. He slammed his fist down onto his leather-bound desk, making the papers he was working on flutter onto the floor like leaves on a stormy day.

"No! We've-no, _you_-have delayed this assignment for three weeks now! And. Every. Single. Time. You come back, too drunk to work!"

He yelled angrily, jutting out a finger accusingly at Rangiku, who was visibly shocked, before sliding back into his large seat, rubbing his temples. Rangiku picked up the file to work on, aghastly, scared out of her wits by his outburst, and closed the door behind her, not before making a face. After she left, Toshiro began to pick up his papers grudgingly, annoyed that he lost his temper. Then, as he was doing so, something sharp poked him on the back of his hand. Hissing in surprise rather than pain, from the handful of papers he was holding he slowly dragged the corner of the stiff paper-like sheet. It was a photo. Toshiro took one look at what was on it, before crumpling it, and throwing it onto the floor. As far away from himself as possible. The photo burned into his heart, and he could remember his memories convulsing back. His face turning three shades paler, and his hand shaking, he felt as if the room began to tip diagonally. The content was as piercing and as attacking as how it got his attention. _Never again._

Trying to calm himself down, he grabbed his overcoat and walked out, slamming the door behind him. He needed to get as far away as possible from that photo, lying amidst the squalor of files and papers.

A few minutes later after her scolding, Rangiku sucked up her courage and crept into her boss's office for her secret stash of booze.

"Heeewww...! I need a break…maybe just a sip. Boss will never find out, I saw him exit…he seemed pretty pissed…I wonder what happened."

Rangiku mused, wondering if she had made her boss leave.

Upon opening the door, she was surprised at how messy everything still was. It wasn't like her pin-neat boss to leave things lying around the office he worked so hard for. Reaching up into the highest shelf behind the closet where Toshiro usually kept his old files, she saw something that caught her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, there was a piece of what-not beside her feet.

"Huh? What's this?"

She thought, forgetting about her sake, she picked it up cautiously. From the texture, she could tell it was film, an old photo perhaps? Un-crumpling the waste, with a childish kind of excitement, she giddily thought of what could be in it. Maybe it was a winning lottery ticket! She thought, even though she knew her boss would never buy something so silly. But working for such a dull company, you needed a bursting sort of imagination. Then, as the picture took form, Rangiku's eyes widened. Even though the photo was nearly ripped in half, and had white, scraggly, crumple-lines running down from every direction, the content stood as shocking as it was unbelievable.

Standing, in the photo, was her boss, in a younger form, hand in hand with a pretty girl, under the picture, a caption read; "Toshiro and Momo forever"

_**AN: PLEASE REVIEW.**_


End file.
